Places to fly: Difference between revisions

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===Airports and coordinates===
===Airports and coordinates===
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[[Image:World-TNCM.png|thumb|right|Latitude: 18.040953 Longitude: -63.108900]]
[[Image:World-KSUN.png|thumb|right|Latitude: 43.51223900 Longitude: -114.30376100]]
 
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* [[TNCM|TNCM - Princess Juliana International Airport]] - [http://assistenza.larasrl.net/brisa/fgfs/suggested_flights/TNCM.pdf chart]  
* [[TNCM|TNCM - Princess Juliana International Airport]] - [http://assistenza.larasrl.net/brisa/fgfs/suggested_flights/TNCM.pdf chart]  
* [[TKPK|TKPK - Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport]] - [http://assistenza.larasrl.net/brisa/fgfs/suggested_flights/TKPK.pdf chart]  
* [[TKPK|TKPK - Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport]] - [http://assistenza.larasrl.net/brisa/fgfs/suggested_flights/TKPK.pdf chart]  

Revision as of 14:28, 15 September 2011

FlightGear has accurate and realistic terrain. Here are some interesting places where you can do virtual sight seeing.

If you are starting with FGRun - the FlightGear launcher - you can enter the airport id and select the runway on the appropriate screen in the startup wizard. If you are starting from the command line you can use the options: --airport=ABCD and --runway=12L.

Remember to give a look at the Suggested Airports page, where you can find a comprensive list of high quality airports in FlightGear.

Remove before flight!

Before you start flying into one of the suggested flights, you should add both the terrain and the Objects to you FlightGear installation; This is well explained on the installing scenery page.

p.s. charts are generated using FlightGear data only.

North America

Round Valley Airport

right after take off
Valley

Covalis, CA. The airport is at the West edge of a 7 mile across valley.
The predominant wind is a cross wind. Take-offs to the west (if they use the full runway length) often have to fly between 2 small hills and over another valley while gaining altitude. Most pilots take off to the west.
It is a paved runway and quite long. It was designated as an emergency recovery field during the Cold War and was used twice that I know of by military aircraft that could not take off again from the field.

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 39.790156 Longitude: -123.266403

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w120n40.tar.gz

Suggested aircraft

I have tried this trip using a p38, quite powerful airplane

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=O09 --runway=28 --aircraft=p38

Hell's Canyon

right after take off
Valley

Hell's Canyon, Imnaha, OR. This airport is located just west of "Hell's Canyon National Park" which has the Snake River running through it.
Supposedly it's a 5500 foot drop from the top of the canyon to the river.
The airport is located on the brink of this canyon.

See the remarks on the airport page (click on the airport id) ... DOWNDRAFTS, SHEER DROP IN TERRAIN, LIVESTOCK, etc. Don't go here on your first solo x-country. :-)

Airports and coordinates

Landing
Latitude: 45.427861 Longitude: -116.693889

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w120n40.tar.gz

Suggested aircraft

Landing 2

I have tried this trip using a pilatus PC-9M, powerful airplane

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=25U --aircraft=PC-9M

Crater Lake National Park Tour

Approaching the lake
Direction 40 degrees

Prospect, OR.

Take off and fly at a heading of about 40 degrees until you cross the first distinct ridge in front of you. (several minutes of flight in the navion ... just climb as fast as you can, it will be a close squeek to get over :-)

Once you clear the ridge and can see beyond it, turn right and fly a heading of about 70 degrees. You should see two shallow peaks off in the distance. Head right between these -- they are the two sides of the crater. As you get closer the shape of the crater will come into view. There's a lake there in real life, hopefully it will be there in flight gear too before long.

Airports and coordinates

Leaving the 64S airfield
Latitude: 42.743183 Longitude: -122.488092

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w130n40.tgz

Suggested aircraft

Lake view 1
Lake view 2

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=64S --runway=02 --aircraft=navion 

Grand Canyon Tour

Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon

These airports are in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon. From KGCN head north. From 1Z1 head south. From 1G4 head north (I think.) From AZ38 head north.

Airports and coordinates

Grand Canyon
Latitude: 35.952361 Longitude: -112.146972

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w120n30.tgz

Suggested aircraft

Grand Canyon

................

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=KGCN 

Ranger Creek Airport

landing 1
landing 2

Greenwater, WA. This airport is wedged into the bottom of a steep canyon. You definitely need to be on your toes to get in and out of here. I'd hate to think about what the wind would do to you in real life.

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 47.01305555 Longitude: -121.534444451

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w130n40.tgz

Suggested aircraft

landing 3

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=6WA8 --aircraft=pa18

Mount Rainier Tour

The mountain from far away
external view

Eatonville, WA. Start out at Swanson Airport in Eatonville, WA. Take off and fly a heading of about 90 degrees. You will need to fly for 5-10 minutes before the mountain comes into view. Be patient if you don't see it right away, it will dwarf everything in it's vicinity.

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 46.87588502 Longitude: -122.25733500

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w130n40.tgz

Suggested aircraft

external near view
external near view

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=WA20 --aircraft=mosquito

Death Valley Tour

in the air
real life view of Furnace Creek Airfield
in the air

Furnace Creek, CA. This starts you right in the middle of Death Valley which runs north & south. If you head south about 15 miles you'll hit the lowest point in the USA, 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level.

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 36.46451100 Longitude: -116.88139422

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w120n30.tgz

Suggested aircraft

in the air
in the air

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=L06 --aircraft=rallye-MS893

Utah

!!! Work in progress !!!
Escalante Muni Airport, Escalante, UT. This airport is east and a bit north of Bryce Canyon National park. If you head mostly south and a bit east you'll eventually hit the Grand Canyon. It is sandwiched between the Dixie National forest to the north and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to the south. There should be interesting stuff to see no matter which direction you head.

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 37.75054400 Longitude: -111.57578300

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w120n30.tgz

Suggested aircraft

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=1L7 --aircraft=pa18


Lake County Airport (CO)

Adjust mixture !
The terrain will be covered by snow

Lake County Airport, Leadville, CO. This airport is at an elevation of 9927 making it a bit of a challenge to get into and out of with a standard C172.
Make sure you lean out your engine before taking off and read up on density altitude before you try this one in real life.

Airports and coordinates

The airport
Latitude: 39.22812500 Longitude: -106.31835600

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w110n30.tgz

Suggested aircraft

I like this panorama
The nearby lake

FlightGear launching

Landing...
fgfs --airport=KLXV --aircraft=c172p

Caribbean - Saint Martin and St. Kitts

Work in progrss!!
Pilots of the Caribbeans is an informal FlightGear community of users who fly around the small Caribbean islands, many of which have custom scenery and improved landclass data. (For details see Pilots of the Caribbean)

Princess Juliana International Airport (TNCM) at the isle of Saint Martin, is one of the most popular airports in FlightGear. In large part due to the custom objects and land cover. However, St. Marten is only one of several detailed airports in the region - and, while the approach for TNCM is one of the most memorable in the whole world, the land cover for St. Kitts and Nevis makes it a lovely place to fly.

British Airways, US Airways and American Airlines, among others, all fly into St. Kitts' Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (TKPK) in real life.

Take off from TKPK in a Piper Cub and make a northward, clockwise circle of the island. Start your descent on the east side of the island, and focus on the small hill which separates the north from the south. Start hugging the coast near the beach and look to the west - as soon as the railroad heads to the southwest, you're about ready to turn for final. Make your right hand turn for final and taxi to the terminal.

If you want to fully explore this whole country, take off in a Beaver, which has a little more speed, and fly a figure eight. Take off from TKPK and circle the airport to the north like in the Cub. Then instead of landing, perform a touch-and-go and turn left over the boat terminal and make for the west coast of Nevis. Enjoy the beauty of the south coast of St. Kitts before circling Nevis. Over Nevis, you have several options - cut your flight short and land at TKPN on the island of Nevis, complete the "figure eight" by heading back to TKPK, or check your fuel and head east across the Caribbean to Antigua (which does not have custom land cover).

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 18.040953 Longitude: -63.108900

others interesting airports in the area:


required scenery tile:

Suggested aircraft

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=TKPK --aircraft=fk9mk2

Friedman Memorial Airport (Idaho)

take off
nearby

Friedman Memorial Airport, Hailey, Idaho. This airport is nestled in a valley surrounded by significant terrain. It's one that shows up quite often in accident investigations.

Airports and coordinates

Latitude: 43.51223900 Longitude: -114.30376100

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/w120n40.tgz

Suggested aircraft

landing
landing

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=KSUN --aircraft=fk9mk2

South America

Southern Tip of Chile

right after take off
Some part of the scenery

Gary Carvell: Here is a suggestion for the FlightGear Places to Fly page. I don't have any particular routes, just fly around and enjoy the gorgeous scenery.
These three airports are in the same region of the very southern tip of Argentina. This area is a scenic wonderland - a maze of islands, mountains, and ocean channels. Hours of entertainment.
SCGZ - Puerto Williams Guardiamarina Zanartu Airport, Chile Located on the north coast of Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. At 55 deg S. longitude, Puerto Williams is considered the southernmost town in the world.
SAWH - Ushuaia Islas Malvinas Airport SAWO - Ushuaia Est Aeronaval Airport Ushuaia, on the south coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, on the the Beagle Channel.

Airports and coordinates

Approaching Ushumaia Malvinas Argentinas
Latitude: -54.931072 Longitude: -67.626261

Suggested aircraft

Just left the scgz airport

I personally like to fly this area in the Catalina, it's a great sightseeing plane with the advantage that you can take off and land just about anywhere.

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=SCGZ --aircraft=Catalina

Middle East

Israel to Jordan over the Dead Sea

take off
flat land

Dead Sea is the lowest water elevation on the Earth. Take off from the Beer-Sheva Teyman airport and head East-North-East. About half way there, after the southern Hebron mountains ridge, there'll be a sharp drop-off down to the Dead Sea --- the lowest exposed point on the Earth.

It's really fun to descend and explore the beautiful coastline. In the real life, you wouldn't like to fly low over this water there of your own will --- while you don't need a life vest in the Dead Sea, the water is pretty caustic there for one's eyes. Once you're done marvelling the sights, continue on to the Queen Alia airport.

Airports and coordinates

landing in the dead sea, notice the altitude !
landing at Queen Alia Intl.
Latitude: 31.29037800 Longitude: 34.71922500

required scenery tile: ftp://ftp.sunsite.org.uk/sites/ftp.flightgear.org/flightgear-ftp/Scenery/e030n30.tar.gz

Suggested aircraft

approaching the dead sea
there is also a minor airport

FlightGear launching

fgfs --airport=LLBS --aircraft=Albatross

Europe

Asia

Africa

Australia

Antarctica